The Corpse in the Snowman

by Nicholas Blake
source: Ipso Books via Netgalley

Sex. Money. Drugs. Take your choice.

In middle of a cold snap, with snow swirling round the imposing Easterham Manor, Nigel and Georgia Strangeways enter the warmth of the Victorian estate. But upon their arrival, the couple quickly learn that all is not as cozy as it seems. The whole house is pervaded by a sense of foreboding: a room is haunted, the cat is possessed, and the specter of the enigmatic Elizabeth Restorick looms.

Confounded by the guests’ strange reactions to the very mention of Elizabeth’s name, Nigel never gets the chance to form his own opinion of the young woman. The next morning, Elizabeth Restorick is found hanged and naked in her room, a hint of a smile playing on her painted lips.

Could her apparent suicide be more than just that? Would this beautiful girl, sensuous, compassionate, full of vitality, have taken her own life? Or did someone take it from her?

With too many loose ends to count, planted evidence, and motives mounting, Nigel must delve into Miss Restorick’s colourful past to solve this tragic mystery. 

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A very enjoyable read! Hooked me right off the get go. A country house, snowed in, solid characters, twists and turns, what more could you ask for?  This is my second Nigel Strangeways mystery, don’t you just love the name! I’m glad Ipso books are reprinting these Golden Age mysteries again for a whole new generation to enjoy.

I prefer the older cover for the book though…

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This fulfills the “Pseudonymous Author” category under “What” in the gold era Just the Facts Notebook @My Reader’s Block.  Nicholas Blake was the pseudonym for Cecil Day-Lewis.  Also counts for Cloak and Dagger.